This Is Iowa: Iowa community helps family expand home as they welcome more children
Building what is basically a second house — connected to your home — takes a lot of work.
In the dead of winter, it can be even more daunting.
“We'll have heat up here,” said Eric Williams, father of five. “But I did all the insulation. But I did all the wiring and the plumbing.”
But this couple from Garner will tell you, it's worth it for a reason — well, three reasons.
“We got this call – ‘Here's these three kids, they're amazing and we need to find them a home,’” Eric said.
But they weren't sure because Amanda and Eric had adopted Aden and Avery from Taiwan just months after they were born.
“I'm just thankful for my parents because if my parents wouldn't have gone to Taiwan and got me, I would be in a totally different place than I am right now,” said Aden Williams.
The four of them have lived in the same house for years.
So when they got the call about three more kids possibly joining the family...
“I was like, there's three kids, no way,” Eric said.
The logistics of going from a family of four to a family of seven just didn't add up.
“When we heard about these kiddos, we just kept saying, ‘Oh we're not qualified — you know, we don't have a big enough house,’” said Amanda Williams.
In June they were asked to watch 10-year-old Jordan, 8-year-old Joslyn and 7-year-old Jonathon — for a week.
It was going to be their 17th temporary stay in less than five years.
But that all changed in the blink of an eye.
“You see their smile and you read their story and it's like – yeah, that was when I knew,” Eric said.
They made a decision. Temporary stays couldn't continue. This was their new permanent home.
“Literally they were dropped off and they haven't left — and we are so grateful,” Eric said.
But they were still seven squeezed into a small home.
“It was supposed to be a weekend thing,” Eric said. “We didn't have bedrooms — all these you'd want to offer a child to make it.”
In August, they started by knocking down the old garage to build a new foundation on faith.
“So I hired an excavator with the money we had and he dug a hole and I remember thinking — we're just going to have a hole in the ground,” Eric said.
But a small community that knows Jordan, Joslyn and Jonathon decided to help out by starting a fundraiser.
“Because they believe in these kids so they're like we know we’re not giving you this money so that you can have this big house — we're giving you this money because we want to invest in these kids too,” Eric said.
The tight-knit group raised $50,000. Another donor matched that donation, raising a total of $100,000.
That gave Eric the money he needed to start building.
“As money came in, I bought stuff and started building,” Eric said.
But it was more than money.
“And the sweetest notes in the mail,” Amanda said. ‘(Things like) ‘we believe you thank you for what you're doing.’ Yeah, it was people we didn't even know.”
While building room for more, there were still scars that needed healing.
Something as simple as packing bags for a Christmas trip to grandma and grandpa's sparked bad memories.
“I pack a bag and I know I’m coming back home - but because they have been bounced around so much every time they packed a bag it was (bad news) I’m never coming back,” Eric said. “I went and bought them all new bags with their favorite characters on them and they were like - what's this for where are we going what are we doing - so one of the little boys said mom you're really going to adopt us right – I said 'yeah' — you promise? — I go, ‘yep.’ So he said could we call them something different.”
The boy decided the bags would be called “Adventure Bags.”
But their best adventure unfolded on Feb. 3 in an old Clear Lake church when the Williams made it official – Jordan, Joslyn and Jonathon aren't going anywhere.
After it became official, one of the children was asked what it meant to them. Their reply: “It means I have Jesus in my heart right now.”
A family chose love before logistics. And now these three have a brighter future and a whole world of possibilities in front of them.
“I want them to know and feel this is forever now,” Eric said. “The opportunity to change a life — it's worth it — it's worth giving up vacations — it's worth giving up stuff that we don't necessarily need in order for somebody to have a shot at their life - shot at a dream.”
Because to them, it's worth it — to build a family.
You can view more This Is Iowa stories here.
